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Saturday, June 16, 2012

What is your "writing face"?

I realized tonight that there's something I always do when I'm writing, be it a happy scene, a sad scene, or even a fight scene: I write with a dopey smile on my face.

Here's a web cam pic of me from five minutes ago. My face has been like this all night, for so long that my cheeks actually hurt a bit, but I can't stop doing it. Even now, I'm smiling, and it certainly doesn't have to do with what I'm also watching on TV, because episodes of The Walking Dead - while engrossing - aren't the kind of thing that bring a smile to my face.

That's kind of dark.

Here it is a little lighter.

Why are my cheeks so tired? Because I'm writing, as in creating new stuff. I've written three new scenes in my book. I don't know what it is, but the process of creating just makes me happy, regardless of the actual tone of the scene. I smile when I'm editing, too, but not nearly as much. (Oddly enough, I frown when I'm designing covers, but that's because it takes a bit of concentration to get things just right.)

Oh, and just out of curiosity, but do any of you find yourself kind of acting things out when you're writing? Or saying a line out loud with the facial expression your character would be using, just to see if it clicks? Or am I the only weirdo who does that?

Ha, I've never thought about it before, but I'm pretty sure my lips part and I just kinda stare vipidly at the screen while I work. Either that or it's just my neutral face. When i'm in deep concentration, however, (and this goes with anything) I tend to twiddle my fingers. It's annoying and is a habit I've had since I was a little. I'm super self-conscious of it because I've had people make fun of me for it before. But meeeh.

I love that you smile as you're writing. As someone who doesn't do too much writing, but spends a HUGE amount of time editing images via my laptop, I can tell you my editing/working face is something similar to this: https://twitter.com/#!/erinparker/media/slideshow?url=http%3A%2F%2Finstagr.am%2Fp%2FJnPtrhAnoV%2F. Slight grin, serious eyes and big ass glasses.

My lips move. I don't *quite* mouth what I'm writing, but they just sort of twitch a little. Or sometimes I furrow my brow in concentration. And I tap my foot to the rhythm of what I'm typing sometimes (which isn't, y'know, my face).

I definitely don't write with a smile on my face. Probably a tight-set jaw and furrowed brow, focusing on writing and not going back to edit. Plus, there's the Doctor Who scarf, so you probably can't see my mouth anyway.

OMG I act out scenes all the time. It took forever for my husband to realize I wasn't actually crazy. He would enter the room and be like "who are you talking to?" Lol, and I am usually a lip biter when I write!!